Forgotten Forbidden America:: Patriots Reborn

by Thomas A. Watson

“Hello,” Nelson sang out. “You’re going to be with our heavy guns. If we get return fire, it will be directed at you.”

  Michelle turned to the others and looked at Josh and Kevin, who were Hank’s group contribution to the attack. “Then he can go with Josh and Kevin,” she said.

  “Bullshit,” Nelson snapped. “He’s either going to be up your ass or mine. Nobody else is going to be responsible for him because if he got hurt under someone else, I’d kill them. I don’t care if it was a freak accident.”

  Slumping her shoulders, Michelle looked down. “Okay, I fucked up and didn’t think about you changing your position for the attack without Gavin. Why on Earth did you dig in on the near side of the hill?”

  “I was always going to be on the near side to cover targets of opportunity,” Nelson said, shaking his head. “Since I didn’t have to dig Gavin a hole to hide in on the far side, I dug one for myself.”

  “He can hide away from the area?” Michelle offered.

  Putting his hands on his hips, Nelson shook his head. “What part of ‘up one of our asses’ did you not understand? I’ll take him with me.”

  Michelle looked up with sad eyes. “I’m sorry. After thinking about it and talking with Gavin, I understood why you wanted him.”

  “Yeah, why do you think I suggested it?”

  “You didn’t even ask him?” Michelle said with a sigh. “He freaked and started cheering when I asked if he thought he was big enough to come.”

  “After all the shit you’ve jumped my ass for, telling the kids what they could or couldn’t do. You thought I would’ve talked to him about this before clearing it with you?” Nelson said, stepping back.

  “Nellie almost passed out,” Michelle said, looking off. “She said I’m getting a spanking when we get back.”

  “Maybe more than one,” Nelson said, reaching out and pulling Michelle into a hug.

  “You sure he’ll be okay with you?”

  “As safe as he can be,” Nelson said. “I’m going to set up away from him in case I draw attention.”

  Gerald walked up, shaking his head. “Just to let both of you know, I was never that crazy about letting Gavin come. Is he really that good driving those damn cars?”

  “Yes he is, and it was never your decision to make,” Nelson said. “With him driving those cars, we can rest assured they will get there.”

  Michelle stepped back and looked over at Gerald and jumped back, seeing his swollen face. “What the hell happened to you?”

  “Got taught a lesson,” Gerald said, rubbing his face gently and heading over to the others.

  “That was the beginning of the lesson, my friend,” Nelson said, letting Michelle go.

  “I don’t even want to know,” Michelle said as Ronald led the others back from the river.

  They gathered around the picnic table as Gerald pointed out the changes of the attack and what they had found out. Next, he told them about the women held in the restaurant and told them of the plan they had to rescue them before the attack. “All those in favor of rescuing them, raise your hand,” Gerald said and counted five hands.

  “Gavin, that includes you,” Nelson said, patting Gavin on the back.

  Gavin looked up at him then back at the group. “I think we should at least try,” he said and shyly raised his hand.

  “Well, Gavin is the swing vote. Six to four,” Gerald said. “We try to rescue them.” After going over the attack again and not getting questions, Gerald looked around. “Let’s move out.”

  Matt and Bernard climbed in the FLYERs and started them up as Michelle came over, kissing Nelson and Gavin. “You listen to your dad now; you promised,” she said, squeezing Gavin tight.

  “I will, Mom, and you be real careful,” he said, hugging her back.

  Michelle let him go and ran back, climbing up on the FLYER Bernard was driving with the mini gun. Climbing in the turret, Michelle tapped Bernard on the shoulder with her foot as Gerald climbed in the passenger side. Ashley climbed up behind Matt in the other FLYER, getting behind the GAU 19. She got that one because Matt could lift the heavy cans of ammo up by himself.

  “Gavin, get on,” Nelson said, pointing at his four-wheeler then turned to Josh and Kevin. “You two will ride Gerald’s to the rally point.”

  “Thank you,” Josh said, lifting up a Barrett M82 fifty caliber rifle. “I don’t like carrying this long ass forty pound fucker for long distances unless I have to.”

  Nelson grinned as Josh lifted the rifle up, walking over to Gerald’s four-wheeler. As Kevin walked past, Nelson saw the huge suppressor for the M82 strapped to his backpack. With his AR across his chest, Josh fought to get on the four-wheeler and hold the massive M82. Out of everyone at Hank’s farm, Josh and Kevin were the best shots. After working out the attack, Gerald agreed that they were going to cover the area from the observation post with the M82.

  Looking over at Ronald, Nelson gave a nod, and Ronald pulled out to the river to make sure the buggies got over. They pulled up and stopped as Bernard was coming out the other side and Matt was entering the river.

  Not able to help it, Nelson laughed as Matt hit the middle of the river, and only his head was out of the water. Sitting up in the turret, Ashley lifted her feet up, holding them out of the water. Matt rolled out the other side and followed Bernard up the bank.

  With Gavin sitting in front of him, Nelson waved at Ronald to move out. It was bright out with the clear sky, but Nelson still lowered his night vision goggles. Instead of moving back to where they left the four-wheelers last time, Ronald drove all the way to the house they were using for an observation post.

  Stopping well inside the forest before the road, Ronald turned off his four-wheeler as the others pulled up beside him. Nelson looked over at Josh and Kevin as he climbed off. “When you set that big bitch out, don’t forget to turn it on,” he said, pointing at the switches on the massive R/C in Gerald’s trailer.

  “I will,” Kevin said then looked at the blue, thirty-gallon plastic drum strapped to a long trailer for the R/C truck. “You’re absolutely positive when I arm the bomb it won’t go off?”

  “It shouldn’t,” Nelson shrugged, and Kevin looked at him in horror. “If it does, I can guarantee you, Kevin. You’ll never know it. A hundred and fifty pound fuel air bomb has a large kill zone.”

  Kevin looked down at the barrel strapped to the trailer Nelson had made for the R/C truck then over at the R/C truck. “If that thing can’t pull it, be damned if I’m going to put it where it needs to go.”

  “It pulled it all over the farm,” Nelson said. “Remember, don’t give away your position unless you have to. You’re here to cover our withdrawal, not get in the fight.”

  “We will,” Josh said, grabbing his gear.

  Starting the four-wheeler, Nelson leaned down to Gavin’s ear. “Keep an eye out. It’s just us from here on out,” he said and eased up to the road then darted across and around the house. Slowing as he entered the backyard, Nelson eased into the trees then slowed more, looking back to make sure Zeus was still with them. Seeing Zeus behind them, Nelson picked his way through the trees down the ravine.

  When he saw the highway through the trees, Nelson got off. “Gavin, I’m going to the road, and when I wave at you, I want you to follow me across. I’m going to be running, but don’t run over me, okay?”

  “Okay, Dad,” Gavin said, reaching up and grabbing the handlebars. Nelson grinned at Gavin’s small frame stretching out to grab the handlebars.

  “Zeus,” Nelson said, tapping his leg and easing up to the highway. Coming out at the dip in the road, Nelson couldn’t see but a few hundred yards either way before a rise blocked his view, but it was clear. He turned to see Gavin grinning at him twenty feet away, and the only reason Nelson could hear the four-wheeler was because of his hunter’s ear.

  Waving Gavin forward, Nelson took off, bursting out of the tree line and running across the road with Zeus beside him. Clearing the eastbound lanes, Nelson saw a larg
er gap between two trees on the other side of the westbound lanes, and he angled toward it.

  Bursting through the few bushes, Nelson slowed and moved to the side and felt Gavin pull past him. Nelson jumped and turned around. “Did you almost hit me?”

  “No,” Gavin whispered, glancing around, which made Nelson nervous. “It’s spooky when you’re not in the trees. It feels like there are eyes everywhere.”

  Reaching over, Nelson patted Gavin on the back. “Yes, but don’t let your fear rule you. If you do, you can’t think, and that’s when bad things happen.”

  “Yes, sir,” Gavin said in a low voice.

  “Hey, you’re doing good, son,” Nelson said, sliding him back on the seat. “Now, keep all noise down from here on out.”

  Gavin nodded as Nelson climbed on and eased the four-wheeler through the trees, stopping in a small gully on the back side of the first hill with the Stryker on the other side. They climbed off, and Nelson moved to the trailer and pulled out three R/C cars, setting them on the ground.

  None had a body anymore, and all of them had a three-inch-deep metal plate mounted on the top covered with an inverted copper disk; all that made up the shape charge. Since the bomb and button camera weighed more than three times what the car weighed, Nelson had to make adjustments to the shocks and springs.

  With the added weight, the batteries drained much faster, but they weren’t going to be driving them long. Of course, the added weight affected the handling and cut down on the speed. This didn’t bother Nelson so much because the damn things moved too fast for him to make fast corrections. That was why he was so good at fixing the little cars.

  The bodies of the 1/16 buggies were just over a foot long and eight inches wide. Without the extra crap mounted on them, they could hit forty miles an hour, and that was hauling ass for something you aren’t sitting in. Now with the extra weight, they could barely go faster than thirty, which was still hauling ass to Nelson.

  When they practiced with the cars at the farm, Gavin wasn’t affected in the least, and with a camera mounted to the car, he was awesome to watch. He would zip around, doing donuts around a car Nelson would drive around at a jogging pace. Gavin would just laugh as Nelson would be sweating bullets, driving his buggy slowly. That was the whole reason Nelson had wanted Gavin to come.

  Looking over at Gavin, who was holding his AR as he looked around the woods, Nelson smiled. Kid’s a natural, he thought as he leaned over and whispered, “Move your rifle to your back. You are going to have your hands full. I’m only going to carry stuff in one hand so I can shoot. If anything happens, drop down. If you see me get hit, call Zeus, and move here. Get on the four-wheeler, and move to Ronald, Kevin, and Josh.”

  Taking a deep breath, Gavin nodded and slung his AR across his back. Nelson grabbed the bag with the remotes and one of the twenty-pound buggies and handed them to Gavin. Slinging the bag on his shoulder, Gavin carried the buggy with both hands.

  Nelson grabbed an AT4, slung it, and grabbed another buggy then moved around Gavin, whispering, “Step where I step, and keep a few steps behind me. Whisper if you need to get my attention.”

  Moving slowly, it took a little time to get to the road between the two hills almost three hundred yards away from them. Easing across the road, Nelson stayed in the woods, moving to the top of the hill he was set up on. He moved around the building and put the buggy down then motioned for Gavin to do the same.

  Nelson dropped his rucksack and motioned for Gavin to take off his small backpack. When Gavin was ready, Nelson moved back to the four-wheeler. Pulling the rest of the gear out and laying it on the ground, Nelson pulled out a camouflaged net and covered the four-wheeler as Gavin tapped his leg, making his heart jump.

  Instinctively, Nelson dropped down on one knee, looking around, then turned to Gavin. Gavin was hunched over as he looked around, but his goggles were tilted up off his eyes. Then, he looked at Nelson. “What?” Nelson whispered.

  “My batteries died in my night vision,” Gavin whispered.

  “You don’t have spares?”

  “Yeah, in my backpack,” Gavin said as Nelson opened a pouch on the side of his tactical vest and pulled out batteries, handing them over.

  “Always keep a set of batteries for everything you have on your body. The extras go in your pack,” Nelson whispered as Gavin took the batteries. Seeing Gavin fighting with the tactical helmet, Nelson reached over and took it off for him. “Keep your movements small and fluid. Don’t jerk. Fast movement is easy to detect from a long way off.”

  Nodding his head slowly, Gavin replaced his batteries as Nelson finished covering the four-wheeler. When Gavin was ready, they carried the rest of the gear back to the building at the top of the hill.

  Nelson knelt down, looking at his watch, and saw they only had a few hours until dawn. “Gavin, we are moving to my fox hole and will have to wait there until night. Once we get in, we can’t get out. These troops move around during the day. If you have to pee or poop, do it now. We can in the foxhole, but it won’t be nice.”

  Gavin nodded and moved to the side of the building as Nelson grabbed his rucksack. When he was done, Gavin moved over and grabbed his backpack. Nelson thought about leaving Gavin in the foxhole as he came back for the rest of the gear but decided instead to show Gavin how to move at night.

  Carefully and slowly, Nelson eased over the hill toward his covered foxhole. The only reason he found it was because he was looking for the boulder it was beside. Nelson set down his gear, and Gavin slowly looked around for the hole they were going to be hiding in.

  Nelson noticed Gavin looking around and reached over, grabbing the edge of the sniper blanket that covered it. Gavin leaned down to see the inside and thought that was the neatest thing ever. Leaving the stuff, they moved back and grabbed the rest.

  With all their gear, Nelson moved to the edge of the foxhole, moving the cover, and dropped his rucksack to the bottom. Motioning for Gavin to get in, Nelson looked back at the lit up camp and checkpoint but didn’t see anyone moving about.

  Gavin climbed down and looked around in wonder at the neat hole his dad had made. It even had glass windows. The hole only came to his chin, but the dirt piled around it put the edge over his head. He looked up at the tarp that covered them and noticed it was tight except where they were coming in. At the back of the hole, the tarp was held off the ground with sticks forming a shelf that his dad was shoving gear on.

  Before his dad came in, Gavin grinned, watching Zeus move inside to the back of the foxhole, staying on the shelf area in front of the gear. Zeus laid down, resting his head on his paws as Nelson climbed in then pulled the cover back over.

  Seeing his dad take his rifle off, Gavin did the same. “Sit on your pack,” Nelson barely whispered, taking his helmet off.

  “Dad, why do you have glass windows?”

  “They have thermal, and thermal reads surface temperature. We can look at them behind the glass, but they can’t detect us. Now with both of us in here with Zeus, the glass will heat up some, but since it’s beside a boulder, I’m not worried they will investigate.”

  “Man, that’s smart,” Gavin said in awe. “What about the tarp covering us?”

  “It has a lining underneath the camouflage netting that reflects all heat back. The outside will stay the same temperature as the surroundings unless we touch it. As long as we are in here, they can’t see us. Even if they come in the woods here, they would have trouble finding us. I walked past the damn spot in daylight several times, it’s camouflaged so well, and I made it.”

  “Dad, you’re like awesome,” Gavin said, grinning.

  Nelson wanted to tell Gavin he learned this from fuckers trying to kill him, so he knew it worked. Instead, he reached over, patting Gavin’s leg, enjoying the praise. “Get some rest; I’ll take first watch, then we have to go over where to drive the buggies and truck.”

  “Yes sir, I’ll try,” Gavin sighed quietly.

  Seeing Gavin trying to get
comfortable, Nelson picked Gavin up and set him in his lap. Gavin thought he wasn’t tired until he rested his head on his dad’s shoulder. Soon, he was asleep and breathing evenly.

  I was kind of glad your mother hit me for suggesting to bring you along. I needed you but really didn’t want my boy here with me, Nelson thought, rubbing Gavin’s head. Like hundreds of years ago, a father and young son sat waiting to fight for freedom with family and friends. The first call of patriots was to free America. This time, patriots were called for the forgotten, forbidden America that had been taken.

  Chapter Sixteen

  An hour after the sun went down, Nelson moved the tarp back. “You remember everything?” he asked, looking at Gavin.

  Holding up his wrist to show Nelson his watch, Gavin nodded. “Yes sir,” he whispered with apprehension. “What about those people they have tied up on the bridge?”

  Looking over his shoulder and around a tree, Nelson looked at the two people that were tied up spread eagle on boards nailed in an X that had been stood in the middle of the westbound bridge. They had watched the soldiers that morning tie up the woman and teenage boy before the reclamation patrols left.

  The westbound side was blocked off with cars, and the only way to cross it was on foot. Only the eastbound side was used. Nelson wanted to help the two, especially since they seemed to have pissed off the troops.

  “If we can, we’ll try,” he said, opening the rifle bag on his rucksack. Nelson pulled out his M1A, the civilian version of the M14 that he was going to use as a sniper rifle. Laying it outside, he pulled out the suppressor and slid it over the barrel. “If any of the explosions don’t work, run the other buggy over, and set it off.”

  “I remember, Dad,” Gavin said, then Nelson eased out and stuck his head back under the tarp.

  “If you need me, I’ll be close. You might hear me moving around, but if Zeus doesn’t growl, it’s me. Use your radio to get me; don’t leave this hole for shit, understand?” Nelson said, and Gavin nodded. “They may be able to track radios here, so when you call me, I may be running back, and we are leaving everything here. Don’t shoot unless you have to; I don’t want them to know you’re here.”